STRATEGIC
BRANDING
and
MARKETING
FRAMEWORKS
Pilfered by Kevin Steven Hansen
Frameworks are very useful for structuring your thinking and simplifying complex ideas. Certain frameworks work well to define a clear brand vision or brand essence, can help guide a positioning workshop, and facilitate a clear brand action to follow.
The only rule is to be creative and not just blindly follow the guidelines.
Enjoy!
The Basics
THE VENN DIAGRAM
Created in 1880, the Venn diagram is one of the most influential frameworks that has impacted modern computing and boolean logic. The original intention was to visualize categorical syllogisms in set theory.
Categorical Syllogisms example:
Positive universal “All are…”
Existential statement “Some are…”
Negative universal “None are…”
The diagram to the right indicates that “all widgets are interesting” and “some useful things are interesting.” However, the assumption that “some widgets are useful” is invalid.
Categorical Syllogisms example:
Positive universal “All are…”
Existential statement “Some are…”
Negative universal “None are…”
The diagram to the right indicates that “all widgets are interesting” and “some useful things are interesting.” However, the assumption that “some widgets are useful” is invalid.
TRIANGULATION MODEL
Take three important elements and place one at each point of the triangle. Defining the relationships between each element is important to determining relationships and hierarchy. This is a handy approach to untangling the relationships of three important but hard-to-distinguish elements/audiences.
The 3C’s model by Kenichi Ohmae was based on this framework and uses customers, competitors, and companies at the three corners.
The 3C’s model by Kenichi Ohmae was based on this framework and uses customers, competitors, and companies at the three corners.
THE PYRAMID
There are two ways of using a horizontally tiered pyramid to visualize a concept.
In the first approach, the layers represent different volumes. The volumes decrease as you get closer to the top. The old food pyramid is an example of this approach.
The second approach is to build from the bottom up, but this time, the layers represent various levels of dependency as you travel up through the pyramid. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is an example of this approach.
In the first approach, the layers represent different volumes. The volumes decrease as you get closer to the top. The old food pyramid is an example of this approach.
The second approach is to build from the bottom up, but this time, the layers represent various levels of dependency as you travel up through the pyramid. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is an example of this approach.
THE ONION
This model presents a group of concentric circles radiating out from a central core to illustrate the dependency of elements.
The framework can be used to present the layers (like an onion) of themes and their direction of dependency. The distance from the core can represent the strength of connection, or it can represent possession.
The framework can be used to present the layers (like an onion) of themes and their direction of dependency. The distance from the core can represent the strength of connection, or it can represent possession.
THE FOUR QUADRANTS OR MATRIX
Quadrant charts can be divided into four equal sections. Matrix quadrant charts are useful for delineating relationships across an X-axis and a Y-axis of opposites.
The most well-known example is Ken Wilber’s SWOT analysis. The X-axis of a SWOT analysis is positive-negative, and the Y-axis is actual-potential.
The most well-known example is Ken Wilber’s SWOT analysis. The X-axis of a SWOT analysis is positive-negative, and the Y-axis is actual-potential.
THE FOUR QUADRANTS OR SPECTRUM
Quadrant charts can also be bubble charts with a background divided into four equal sections. They are useful for plotting data that contains three measures using an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a bubble size that represents the value of the third measure.
This is a very useful tool for brand positioning exercises.
This is a very useful tool for brand positioning exercises.
SMCR MODEL
The source–message–channel–receiver model is a linear transmission model of communication. It is also referred to as the sender–message–channel–receiver model, the SMCR model, and Berlo's model. David Berlo first published it in his 1960 book The Process of Communication. The book contains a detailed discussion of the four main components of communication: source, message, channel, and receiver.
Berlo discusses both verbal and non-verbal communication and sees all forms of communication as attempts by the source to influence the behavior of the receiver.
Berlo discusses both verbal and non-verbal communication and sees all forms of communication as attempts by the source to influence the behavior of the receiver.
Brand Building
SIMON SINEK'S GOLDEN CIRCLE
WHAT: Every organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. These are the products they sell or the services they offer.
HOW: Some organizations know HOW they do it. These are the things that set them apart from their competition.
WHY: Very few organizations know WHY they do what they do. WHY is not about making money. That’s a result. WHY is a purpose, cause, or belief.
HOW: Some organizations know HOW they do it. These are the things that set them apart from their competition.
WHY: Very few organizations know WHY they do what they do. WHY is not about making money. That’s a result. WHY is a purpose, cause, or belief.
ANDRÉS ZUZUNAGA'S PURPOSE VENN DIAGRAM
Many refer to the Purpose Venn diagram as Ikigai, a Japanese concept meaning “to live with reason.” The diagram to the right is Andrés’ Purpose Diagram, but both Models can be helpful in narrowing down a brand's purpose or identity.
Ken Mogi, a Japanese author, uses a different framework for Ikigai. His model has 5-pillars: 1) start small, 2) release yourself, 3) harmony & stability, 4) the joy of little things, and 5) be in the here and now.
Ken Mogi, a Japanese author, uses a different framework for Ikigai. His model has 5-pillars: 1) start small, 2) release yourself, 3) harmony & stability, 4) the joy of little things, and 5) be in the here and now.
BRAND IDENTITY
Brand management aspires to create and maintain a set of associations and principles that imply a promise to customers from the organization, its products/services, and its staff members.
BRAND EQUITY MODEL
This framework comes from Keller’s Brand Equity Model, which is also known as the Customer-Based Brand Equity Model.
The brand resonance pyramid has four layers. Each layer builds upon the previous one to answer a specific question about the brand that people can relate to. The second and third tiers have a rational and emotional side.
Your objective on each level should be to ensure brand awareness, define points of parity and difference, provide positive, accessible reactions, and build intense, active loyalty.
The brand resonance pyramid has four layers. Each layer builds upon the previous one to answer a specific question about the brand that people can relate to. The second and third tiers have a rational and emotional side.
Your objective on each level should be to ensure brand awareness, define points of parity and difference, provide positive, accessible reactions, and build intense, active loyalty.
BRAND EQUITY PYRAMID
The Brand Equity Pyramid describes the product part of the Brand Core.
A brand pyramid is a representational framework that answers fundamental questions about a brand and its market positioning. The framework is particularly useful for new brands entering a market for the first time. It moves from bottom to top with these elements: features and attributes, functional benefits, emotional benefits, brand persona/core values, and brand essence.
A brand pyramid is a representational framework that answers fundamental questions about a brand and its market positioning. The framework is particularly useful for new brands entering a market for the first time. It moves from bottom to top with these elements: features and attributes, functional benefits, emotional benefits, brand persona/core values, and brand essence.
BRAND HOUSE
The left model is based on the University of Michigan. A Brand House framework is best used to organize the answers found in other frameworks and test the stability of the varying answers when they come together.
A brand house has five main components:
– Sitting at the top is the Big Idea
– Under that lives the Value Proposition followed by the Brand Character.
– The next layer includes the three Brand pillars that support the brand.
– And at the bottom, the foundation is the key differentiator of the brand.
A brand house has five main components:
– Sitting at the top is the Big Idea
– Under that lives the Value Proposition followed by the Brand Character.
– The next layer includes the three Brand pillars that support the brand.
– And at the bottom, the foundation is the key differentiator of the brand.
BRAND STRATEGY TRIANGLE
The triangle is divided into four segments that articulate the main components of the brand. Each segment needs a clear and simple statement to define a high-level brand strategy that covers essential areas.
Going one step further from the Golden Circle framework, the brand strategy triangle adds a “who” section. The “who” is important because different demographics can interpret messages differently based on their backgrounds.
Going one step further from the Golden Circle framework, the brand strategy triangle adds a “who” section. The “who” is important because different demographics can interpret messages differently based on their backgrounds.
THE 3C MODEL
Japanese business strategist Kenichi Ohmae developed the 3C Analysis Business Model, a marketing tool that focuses on customers, competitors, and the company. At the intersection of these three variables lies an effective marketing strategy to gain a potential competitive advantage and build a lasting company.
Once the needs, wants, and demands of the consumer have been identified, the business should then analyze the company/competitors overlap and how that fits into the customers’ world views.
Once the needs, wants, and demands of the consumer have been identified, the business should then analyze the company/competitors overlap and how that fits into the customers’ world views.
THE 3C MODEL – IN CONTEXT
Customers: Customers have needs and wants, and the company understands their requirements. The company should be able to understand, meet, and cater to the needs and demands of the customers rather than of its shareholders.
Competitors: The business needs to conduct a thorough competitive analysis in the market, figuring out who the direct competitors are and who the indirect competitors are. Finding out their core strengths, business strategies, values, objectives, sales strategies, marketing strategies, and other crucial facets is important to devising a plan to beat the competition and gain an advantage.
Company: The company should be genuinely interested in the customers, as doing so will automatically take care of the shareholders, profits, sales, and other crucial objectives of the business. The customer should always be at the focal point of every business aspect.
Competitors: The business needs to conduct a thorough competitive analysis in the market, figuring out who the direct competitors are and who the indirect competitors are. Finding out their core strengths, business strategies, values, objectives, sales strategies, marketing strategies, and other crucial facets is important to devising a plan to beat the competition and gain an advantage.
Company: The company should be genuinely interested in the customers, as doing so will automatically take care of the shareholders, profits, sales, and other crucial objectives of the business. The customer should always be at the focal point of every business aspect.
BRAND DYNAMICS PYRAMID
This tool shows the number of consumers who have a relationship with the brand at five key stages, from weak relationship and low share of category expenditure to strong relationship and high share.
From simple awareness Presence level (Do I know it?) through personal Relevance (Does it offer me something?) and good enough Performance (Can I deliver?) to the proportion recognizing a clear competitive Advantage (Does it offer something better than others?) and finally those who are closely Bonded with the brand (Nothing else beats it).
From simple awareness Presence level (Do I know it?) through personal Relevance (Does it offer me something?) and good enough Performance (Can I deliver?) to the proportion recognizing a clear competitive Advantage (Does it offer something better than others?) and finally those who are closely Bonded with the brand (Nothing else beats it).
PESEL ANALYSIS
is a framework or tool used by marketers to analyse and monitor the macro-environmental (external marketing environment) factors that have an impact on an organization. The result of which is used to identify threats and weaknesses which are used in a SWOT analysis.
The most recent addition to PESTEL is the extra E - making it PESTELE. This stands for ethical, and includes ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business.
The most recent addition to PESTEL is the extra E - making it PESTELE. This stands for ethical, and includes ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business.
SWOT ANALYIS
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, so a SWOT analysis is a technique for plotting these four aspects of your business.
A SWOT Analysis is a tool that can help you to analyze what your company does best now and to devise a successful strategy for the future. SWOT can also uncover areas of the business that are holding you back or that your competitors could exploit if you don't protect yourself.
A SWOT analysis examines both internal and external factors. So, some of these factors will be within your control, and some will not.
A SWOT Analysis is a tool that can help you to analyze what your company does best now and to devise a successful strategy for the future. SWOT can also uncover areas of the business that are holding you back or that your competitors could exploit if you don't protect yourself.
A SWOT analysis examines both internal and external factors. So, some of these factors will be within your control, and some will not.
ANTE DIAGRAM
In 2003, McKinsey & Company produced an article called “Better Branding.” Its goal was to really drive home the concept that to beat your competition; you have to know how you are different and what really matters to the customer.
This grid has four quadrants, each representing one of four different types of messages you can use in your marketing and advertising – the statements you can/do make about yourself. The more important a message is to your target audience, the higher the vertical axis it goes (relevancy). Similarly, you plot the message further on the horizontal axis as fewer and fewer competitors can also lay claim to it (differentiation).
This grid has four quadrants, each representing one of four different types of messages you can use in your marketing and advertising – the statements you can/do make about yourself. The more important a message is to your target audience, the higher the vertical axis it goes (relevancy). Similarly, you plot the message further on the horizontal axis as fewer and fewer competitors can also lay claim to it (differentiation).
POSITIONING MATRIX
The format most often used is a matrix that illustrates competitive differences against two axes. Axes are often chosen to lead the witness by dramatizing a particular whitespace for positioning a brand.
To avoid this pitfall (or temptations), make sure that the comparative dimensions for your axes are:
(1) Broad: must be able to apply across all brands
(2) Salient: must matter to how customers distinguish brands
(3) Contrasting: must be perceived as polar opposites
(4) Measurable: must be able to be placed on a single-axis
(5) Objective: must not be inherently good or bad.
To avoid this pitfall (or temptations), make sure that the comparative dimensions for your axes are:
(1) Broad: must be able to apply across all brands
(2) Salient: must matter to how customers distinguish brands
(3) Contrasting: must be perceived as polar opposites
(4) Measurable: must be able to be placed on a single-axis
(5) Objective: must not be inherently good or bad.
BRAND CORE
This model combines David Aaker's Brand Essence and the 3C Model.
The essence of the Brand lies in the intersection of three factors:
Audience - represented by audience insight
Product - represented by brand equities
Vision - meaning the desired future of the brand
The essence of the Brand lies in the intersection of three factors:
Audience - represented by audience insight
Product - represented by brand equities
Vision - meaning the desired future of the brand
BRAND IDENTITY PRISM
Kapferer has developed a brand identity prism that distinguishes the sender and recipient sides, as well as the externalization and internalization sides. The 6 identity facets express the brand's tangible and intangible characteristics and give it unique authority and legitimacy in terms of values and benefits.
The six facets of the identity prism define the brand identity from different perspectives and set the boundaries within it that are free to change or to develop in time.
The six facets of the identity prism define the brand identity from different perspectives and set the boundaries within it that are free to change or to develop in time.
BRAND IDENTITY PLANNING
This model is based on an overall area: the company’s brand identity. Below, you have to come in and work on getting both the company’s brand identity to contain points that cover:
– Brand Awareness
– Perceived Quality
– Brand Association
– Brand Loyalty
In other words, these four elements are not what you as a company must analyze, but they must always be part of the work to strengthen the brand identity. If you do not take the four points above into account, you will have a failed brand identity.
– Brand Awareness
– Perceived Quality
– Brand Association
– Brand Loyalty
In other words, these four elements are not what you as a company must analyze, but they must always be part of the work to strengthen the brand identity. If you do not take the four points above into account, you will have a failed brand identity.
BRAND VALUE CLUSTERS
Various techniques can be used to find brand values. One method is to conduct a focus group or social listening campaign, take interviewees’ responses, and “cluster” the values in a manner or diagram.
This analysis plot is easiest to create by printing transcriptions and cutting out relevant/salient quotes. The quotes can then be grouped together and moved around to create brand value clusters, which help interpret the themes and ideas in context.
This analysis plot is easiest to create by printing transcriptions and cutting out relevant/salient quotes. The quotes can then be grouped together and moved around to create brand value clusters, which help interpret the themes and ideas in context.
BRAND EQUITY INDEX BY NIELSEN
Most brand equity models tend to use a series of three or four statements that reflect the outcomes of brand equity. The following statements are used to create NielsenIQ’s Winning Brands’ Brand Equity Index:
– If you have to recommend a brand of [category] to somebody, which brand would it be?
– Which brand of [category] would you say is your favorite brand? It may or may not be the brand you use/buy most often.
Can you please indicate which of these statements best describes how much you would be willing to pay for [brand name]?
– If you have to recommend a brand of [category] to somebody, which brand would it be?
– Which brand of [category] would you say is your favorite brand? It may or may not be the brand you use/buy most often.
Can you please indicate which of these statements best describes how much you would be willing to pay for [brand name]?
BRAND KEY
One of the main benefits of using a brand key is that it captures all the essential information about a brand on just one page. This makes it easy for everyone involved in a brand to understand and bring to life its distinctive identity. It also ensures that everyone is on the same page when it comes to making decisions about that brand.
It provides a framework for creating consistent messaging and visual identity across all touchpoints, from advertising to product design. This consistency helps build brand recognition and customer loyalty.
It provides a framework for creating consistent messaging and visual identity across all touchpoints, from advertising to product design. This consistency helps build brand recognition and customer loyalty.
LIST OF AUDITS FOR A BRAND
Before any useful branding discussions can start, it is vital to open everyone’s eyes to the product's position in the market. This is where the role of research and audits becomes crucial, especially if key players and senior management aren’t completely aware of the challenge they are facing.
BRAND HEALTH PYRAMID
At any one time, every person could be linked to one level of relationship with a brand: awareness, familiarity, preference, or best choice.
The important thing is the conversion between the levels. Low awareness means no one knows your brand. A low conversion rate to familiarity tells us that people who have heard about you don’t know what you have promised them. A low conversion rate to preference means that what you say is not interesting to your audience. A low conversion rate to loyalty means you don’t provide an extra reason to stick with you.
The important thing is the conversion between the levels. Low awareness means no one knows your brand. A low conversion rate to familiarity tells us that people who have heard about you don’t know what you have promised them. A low conversion rate to preference means that what you say is not interesting to your audience. A low conversion rate to loyalty means you don’t provide an extra reason to stick with you.
MARKETING FUNNEL
The marketing funnel is a visualization for understanding the process of turning leads into customers, as understood from a marketing (and sales) perspective. The idea is that, like a funnel, marketers cast a broad net to capture as many leads as possible and then slowly nurture prospective customers through the purchasing decision, narrowing down these candidates in each stage of the funnel.
It’s important to note that there is not a single agreed-upon version of the funnel; some have many “stages” while others have few with different names and actions taken by the business and consumer for each.
It’s important to note that there is not a single agreed-upon version of the funnel; some have many “stages” while others have few with different names and actions taken by the business and consumer for each.
ATTENTION FUNNEL
This tool is more commonly known as AIDA. Although it has been around for a long time, it has undeservedly lost some respect.
AIDA is perfect for evaluating your execution. Whatever you do, you should check whether it attracts attention (will your banner be visible on the page). Will it cause interest? Because attention alone is not enough. It’s a pity, but today, there is a lot of creativity that works just on these 2 levels. The most important objective to achieve is to create desire, which leads to further action, not just obligatory purchase but also digging for information, etc.
AIDA is perfect for evaluating your execution. Whatever you do, you should check whether it attracts attention (will your banner be visible on the page). Will it cause interest? Because attention alone is not enough. It’s a pity, but today, there is a lot of creativity that works just on these 2 levels. The most important objective to achieve is to create desire, which leads to further action, not just obligatory purchase but also digging for information, etc.
PURCHASE FUNNEL
The purchase funnel describes the consumer’s path leading to a purchase.
The tool’s most important point is consideration. To get onto a consideration list, we need to raise awareness of our product and ensure the audience is familiar with our brand/product promise.
The tool’s most important point is consideration. To get onto a consideration list, we need to raise awareness of our product and ensure the audience is familiar with our brand/product promise.
BRAND IDENTITY
The set of associations and principles that brand management aspires to create and maintain. These associations imply a promise to customers from the organization, its products/services, and its staff members. Be mindful of Richard Huntington’s 4 key characteristics of successful brands and any challenger status
– Authenticity
– Performance
– Relevance
– Momentum
– Authenticity
– Performance
– Relevance
– Momentum
BRAND ARCHETYPES
Building on the Brand Identity, Mark and Pearson’s book “The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes” goes into much further detail about the 12 different archetypes or personalities, which are further defined by goals and characteristics.
BRAND POSITIONING
Positioning breaks through barriers of oversaturated markets to create new opportunities.
Start with a solid platform to effectively articulate your brand’s value.
Start with a solid platform to effectively articulate your brand’s value.
SERVICE BRANDING TRIANGLE
This triangle shows three interrelated branding strategies necessary for creating strong customer-based brand equity for banks and other financial institutions.
External branding is defined as creating a brand identity and communicating the brand promise (making the brand promise) to target customers through marketing communications.
Internal branding involves training service delivery personnel on the brand promise and brand strategy to provide customers with the desired brand experience (enabling the brand promise).
Interactive branding is defined as delivering the brand promise by contact personnel during service encounters (delivering the brand promise).
External branding is defined as creating a brand identity and communicating the brand promise (making the brand promise) to target customers through marketing communications.
Internal branding involves training service delivery personnel on the brand promise and brand strategy to provide customers with the desired brand experience (enabling the brand promise).
Interactive branding is defined as delivering the brand promise by contact personnel during service encounters (delivering the brand promise).
BRAND DIFFERENTIATION ANALYSIS
This framework can be used to review all the changeable and unchangeable elements. It can give you clarity on which direction you need to take your brand in.
BRAND EQUITY
Brand equity is a marketing term that describes the commercial value derived from consumer perception of a brand name rather than the product or service it provides.
Brand equity can be determined by measuring seven key aspects of how a brand is perceived by consumers.
Brand equity can be determined by measuring seven key aspects of how a brand is perceived by consumers.
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE MODEL
One of the best ways to assess where an organization could, or should, go next is to interview key staff and, ideally, consumers in key target markets, peers, and influencers to get an internal and external perspective. This could be a day’s interviews at HQ or a month-long series of meetings plus online staff surveys.
CONSUMER JOURNEY MAPPING
In its most basic form, journey mapping starts by compiling a series of user actions into a timeline. Next, the timeline is fleshed out with user thoughts and emotions to create a narrative. This narrative is condensed and polished, ultimately leading to a visualization.
CUSTOMER CENTRICITY
When you put your customer at the core of your business and combine it with Customer Relationship Management (CRM), you collect a wealth of data, which gives you a full 360º view of the customer. This data can then be used to enhance your customer’s experience.
For example:
– You can use customer data to understand buying behavior, interests, and engagement.
– You can identify opportunities to create products, services, and promotions for your best customers.
– You can use customer lifetime value to segment customers based on top spenders.
For example:
– You can use customer data to understand buying behavior, interests, and engagement.
– You can identify opportunities to create products, services, and promotions for your best customers.
– You can use customer lifetime value to segment customers based on top spenders.
HOW BRANDS PROVIDE VALUE
This matrix helps you understand the link between what brands do and the social or commercial value they generate.
IDENTIFYING CONNECTIONS BARRIERS
With this framework, you can experiment with a brand’s actions and consumer behavior and how they supplement and interact with each other.
THE ELEMENTS OF BRAND FAME
Paul Feldwick suggests that creating brand fame requires paying attention to four conditions to increase our chances of success. All four conditions interact with each other, so in practice, they are closely related.
The Four Facets of Fame:
– The intrinsic appeal, attraction, or ‘stickiness’ of the product or performance, as experienced by the public.
– The ability to reach mass audiences and be seen to reach mass audiences.
– Distinctiveness that uniquely identifies the famous object.
– Social diffusion, or the active involvement of the public in sharing and otherwise engaging with the famous thing.
The Four Facets of Fame:
– The intrinsic appeal, attraction, or ‘stickiness’ of the product or performance, as experienced by the public.
– The ability to reach mass audiences and be seen to reach mass audiences.
– Distinctiveness that uniquely identifies the famous object.
– Social diffusion, or the active involvement of the public in sharing and otherwise engaging with the famous thing.
BENEFIT LADDER
The purpose of the Brand Benefits Ladder is to translate product or service features into relevant psychological benefits for the consumer. The brand Benefits Ladder is based on the theory that brands that connect with consumers on a more emotional level build strong equity and loyalty. Completing this framework forces marketers to view their functional attributes and benefits through the eyes of their target consumers. The ladder also ensures that there is alignment and credibility between the functional and emotional benefits of the product or service. Once completed, a Brand Benefit Ladder can be used as a tool to create more distinctive and emotionally resonant marketing communications.
BENEFIT COMMITMENT MATRIX
The matrix is organized into two columns, each containing three key statements. The left-hand column describes the brand’s customers with the following statements:
– Identity (who they are)
– Aims (what they want)
– Mores (how they belong)
The right-hand side of the matrix is a column for the company or brand–it contains the following parallel statements:
– Purpose (why we exist)
– Onlyness (what we offer)
– Values (how we behave)
– Identity (who they are)
– Aims (what they want)
– Mores (how they belong)
The right-hand side of the matrix is a column for the company or brand–it contains the following parallel statements:
– Purpose (why we exist)
– Onlyness (what we offer)
– Values (how we behave)
THE VALUE PROPOSITIONS CANVAS
Your value proposition is the reason why customers turn to your company over another. It solves your customer’s problems or satisfies your customer’s needs. Each value proposition consists of a selected bundle of products and/or services that caters to the requirements of a specific Customer Segment.
The Value Proposition Canvas is a framework that can help ensure that a product or service is positioned around the customer’s values and needs. The Value Proposition Canvas was initially developed as a framework to ensure that there is a fit between the product and the market.
The Value Proposition Canvas is a framework that can help ensure that a product or service is positioned around the customer’s values and needs. The Value Proposition Canvas was initially developed as a framework to ensure that there is a fit between the product and the market.
MODIFIED FUNNEL
This model identifies the actual purchase path for your brand, the best role for communication at each stage, the metrics that matter at each stage, implements the best media mix, and creates the best creative to convert them.
BRAND EQUITY
This model interprets brand equity as a combination of a brand’s awareness, loyalty, and perceived quality. These assets can help a company increase the value of its products or services, benefiting the customer. According to the model, brand equity can:
– Help retrieve information. The model suggests that brand equity can help customers learn, understand, and retrieve more information about a brand.
– Influence purchasing decisions. The Baker model believes brand equity can increase customers’ confidence in purchasing decisions because of their familiarity with the brand.
– Increase customer satisfaction: According to the model, brand equity helps customers feel confident in a brand's quality, which can increase their satisfaction with the company.
– Help retrieve information. The model suggests that brand equity can help customers learn, understand, and retrieve more information about a brand.
– Influence purchasing decisions. The Baker model believes brand equity can increase customers’ confidence in purchasing decisions because of their familiarity with the brand.
– Increase customer satisfaction: According to the model, brand equity helps customers feel confident in a brand's quality, which can increase their satisfaction with the company.
MARKETING SALES FUNNEL
At the top of the funnel is Awareness, and touchpoints like OOH and TVC will be used extensively.
At the bottom of the funnel is Advocacy, which can display Google reviews or user reviews.
The funnel is useful for assigning roles and responsibilities to brand touchpoints.
At the bottom of the funnel is Advocacy, which can display Google reviews or user reviews.
The funnel is useful for assigning roles and responsibilities to brand touchpoints.
BCG GROWTH SHARE MATRIX
There is a simple framework to assess and prioritize a company’s product lines based on their level of growth versus market share.
– Cash cows: low growth and high share;. they should be ‘milked’ for cash to reinvest.
– Stars: high growth and high share, with high potential and worthy of investment.
– Question Marks: high growth and low share, chose to invest or discard.
– Pests: both low share and growth and should be liquidated or repositioned
– Cash cows: low growth and high share;. they should be ‘milked’ for cash to reinvest.
– Stars: high growth and high share, with high potential and worthy of investment.
– Question Marks: high growth and low share, chose to invest or discard.
– Pests: both low share and growth and should be liquidated or repositioned
THE ERRC GRID
The eliminate-reduce-raise-create (ERRC) grid is an essential tool of the blue ocean strategy.
It is a simple matrix-like tool that drives companies to focus simultaneously on eliminating and reducing, raising and creating, and unlocking a new blue ocean.
It pushes companies not only to ask the questions posed in the Four Actions Framework but also to act on all four to create a new value curve for the strategic profile, which is essential to unlocking a new blue ocean.
It is a simple matrix-like tool that drives companies to focus simultaneously on eliminating and reducing, raising and creating, and unlocking a new blue ocean.
It pushes companies not only to ask the questions posed in the Four Actions Framework but also to act on all four to create a new value curve for the strategic profile, which is essential to unlocking a new blue ocean.
THE VALUE INNOVATION
This framework is the cornerstone of the market-creating strategy. Because value to buyers comes from the offering’s utility minus its price and because value to the company is generated from the offering’s price minus its cost, value innovation is achieved only when the whole system of utility, price, and cost is aligned.
PRICE CORRIDOR OF THE MASSES
The Price Corridor is a tool managers can use to determine the right place to unlock the mass of target buyers. When setting a strategic price for a product or service, managers must evaluate the trade-offs buyers consider when purchasing and the level of legal and resource production that will block other companies from imitating their offerings.
THE STRATEGY CHOICE CASCADE
This is a methodology that analyzes the critical elements of a strategic alternative of interest. In addition, it is a way for the team to visualize and discuss different approaches for future projects.
A strong strategy will generate a durable advantage and higher value in the competitive market. It will also help project managers define the vision statement, objectives, and resources required for the project’s success.
A strong strategy will generate a durable advantage and higher value in the competitive market. It will also help project managers define the vision statement, objectives, and resources required for the project’s success.
HURON'S PRODUCTIVE THINKING MODEL
Use Hurson’s when you’re first beginning to tackle a problem. It will help you better understand the problem and consequently develop better solutions.
THE FIVE WHY'S
The purpose of the framework is to identify the root cause of the problem by repeating the question. The key is to avoid cognitive bias and instead trace casual chains.
For example, customers don’t understand the product.
Solution: Now, you can create a chain of arguments without giving five different reasons why but instead by subordinating one to the other.
For example, customers don’t understand the product.
Solution: Now, you can create a chain of arguments without giving five different reasons why but instead by subordinating one to the other.
NEGATIVE FRAMING
Play around with negative scenarios and ask questions. The aim is to understand where the problem lies. These questions are just some thought starters.
Brand Architecture
FOUR CHOICES FOR BRANDS
A company may introduce line extensions, brand extensions, multi-brand extensions, or entirely new brands.
Line extensions involve expanding the current brand name to include new shapes, colors, sizes, flavors, etc., in one of the company’s existing product categories. In contrast, a brand extension extends an existing brand name to a new or modified product in a new product category.
Multi-branding involves introducing multiple brands in one category.
Finally, a company may decide that a new brand is needed, especially if the existing brand name is declining or the company is entering a new product category.
Line extensions involve expanding the current brand name to include new shapes, colors, sizes, flavors, etc., in one of the company’s existing product categories. In contrast, a brand extension extends an existing brand name to a new or modified product in a new product category.
Multi-branding involves introducing multiple brands in one category.
Finally, a company may decide that a new brand is needed, especially if the existing brand name is declining or the company is entering a new product category.
BRAND ARCHITECTURE SPECTRUM
The brand spectrum is the most useful tool to help you manage your brand's services and audiences.
On one end of the spectrum is the master parent brand, which leads the portfolio of brands in vision and equities. On the other end is a stand-alone sub-brand (or product brand) when it has little or no association with the parent. There are versions of this model that go into more forensic detail about all the relationship options that exist between these two poles. But in its more simplistic form, the relationship options in between usually have some form of either sub-branding or endorsed branding.
On one end of the spectrum is the master parent brand, which leads the portfolio of brands in vision and equities. On the other end is a stand-alone sub-brand (or product brand) when it has little or no association with the parent. There are versions of this model that go into more forensic detail about all the relationship options that exist between these two poles. But in its more simplistic form, the relationship options in between usually have some form of either sub-branding or endorsed branding.
EVOLUTION OF SMALL BUSINESSES
Phase 1: Existence. In this stage, the main problems of the business are obtaining customers and delivering the product or service contracted.
Phase 2: Survival. In this stage, the business has enough customers and satisfies them sufficiently with its products or services to keep them.
Phase 3: Success. At this stage, owners must decide whether to exploit the company’s accomplishments and expand or keep it stable and profitable.
Phase 4: Take-Off. In this stage, the key problems are how to grow rapidly and finance that growth.
Phase 5: Resource Maturity. The greatest concerns of a company entering this stage are, first, to consolidate and control the financial gains brought on by rapid growth and, second, to retain the advantages of small size, including flexibility of response and the entrepreneurial spirit.
Phase 2: Survival. In this stage, the business has enough customers and satisfies them sufficiently with its products or services to keep them.
Phase 3: Success. At this stage, owners must decide whether to exploit the company’s accomplishments and expand or keep it stable and profitable.
Phase 4: Take-Off. In this stage, the key problems are how to grow rapidly and finance that growth.
Phase 5: Resource Maturity. The greatest concerns of a company entering this stage are, first, to consolidate and control the financial gains brought on by rapid growth and, second, to retain the advantages of small size, including flexibility of response and the entrepreneurial spirit.
Research
RESEARCH PROCESS MAP
A step-by-step framework for the research process in brand and comms development.
RESEARCH FUNNEL
Research should be designed to address a problem - either to solve it or to get closer to a solution. The funnel categories describe research as something that can and should happen at every stage of a product/project lifecycle and describe how close you are to the problem or solution.
The Research Funnel nicely illustrates the idea of funneling down from the broad, more foundational aspects of Exploratory Research to the specific, narrow, and optimization-focused function of Operational Research.
The Research Funnel nicely illustrates the idea of funneling down from the broad, more foundational aspects of Exploratory Research to the specific, narrow, and optimization-focused function of Operational Research.
Consumer Analysis
TARGET GROUPS
A simple but important point: there are several types of target audiences.
The consumer pool includes all potential consumers, but you can’t talk with everyone. The target audience is the media target—that audience you targeted in your media coverage, which is usually wider than the brand core.
The brand core is the audience you describe in your creative brief and address your message to. It’s not all your consumers but the group others are inspired by.
The consumer pool includes all potential consumers, but you can’t talk with everyone. The target audience is the media target—that audience you targeted in your media coverage, which is usually wider than the brand core.
The brand core is the audience you describe in your creative brief and address your message to. It’s not all your consumers but the group others are inspired by.
5 W'S FRAMEWORK
5 W’s Framework is useful for describing your consumer. It’s also a good idea to start thinking about segmentation first.
The WHO - consumer insights
The WHAT - brand, product, and portfolio strategy
The WHEN - occasions-based marketing
The WHERE - market opportunity landscape, locations of purchase, and use
The WHY and the WHY NOT - drivers and barriers to consumer choice
The WHO - consumer insights
The WHAT - brand, product, and portfolio strategy
The WHEN - occasions-based marketing
The WHERE - market opportunity landscape, locations of purchase, and use
The WHY and the WHY NOT - drivers and barriers to consumer choice
CONSUMER PYRAMID
The Consumer Pyramid describes the consumer part of the brand essence.
It starts with a description of the target consumer (prime prospect). Then, it tells us about occasions of brand/product usage and the needs that refer to them. That leads to consumer insight, which serves as a basis for the brand statement.
It starts with a description of the target consumer (prime prospect). Then, it tells us about occasions of brand/product usage and the needs that refer to them. That leads to consumer insight, which serves as a basis for the brand statement.
CONSUMER ANALYSIS
Getting beyond what customers say; to what they do and what motivates them. It is about a “deep understanding of a customer’s needs and behaviors that the customer can identify and the latent needs they cannot.”
WHAT DO THEY THINK, DO, AND NEED?
This is a valuable model when you need to consider the benefits your client, company, or brand can bring to its target audience.
CONSUMER SPLIT
This is a powerful segmentation tool that divides the target audience by its consumer behavior.
Rows represent three levels of relationship with a brand: loyal consumers (our brand is the #1 choice), switchers (buy us sometimes), and non-buyers (don’t buy us).
Columns stand for consumption habits: heavy and light category users.
The volume and impact of every consumer type on the brand profit can be revealed by corresponding research.
Rows represent three levels of relationship with a brand: loyal consumers (our brand is the #1 choice), switchers (buy us sometimes), and non-buyers (don’t buy us).
Columns stand for consumption habits: heavy and light category users.
The volume and impact of every consumer type on the brand profit can be revealed by corresponding research.
CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION
HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
The diagram represents Maslow’s hierarchy of needs arranged as a pyramid. Maslow used his “categories of need” to describe the path that human motivations generally move through, starting with the most basic needs represented at the bottom and finishing with the highest desire - self-actualization or “reaching one’s potential” at the top.
BELIEF MAP
To change people’s behavior, you need to change their beliefs first.
A belief map establishes the connection between consumers’ beliefs and actions, current and desired.
A belief map establishes the connection between consumers’ beliefs and actions, current and desired.
PERSONAS
Personas are fictional characters who allow you to design and plan from a place of deeper empathy. It tends to be used in UX and marketing.
Personas are simplified representations of people. They provide a ‘snapshot’ into a particular segment or type of user. This means you’ll better be able to appreciate their perspective, context, goals, pains, and needs - to ‘see the world from their perspective.’
Personas are simplified representations of people. They provide a ‘snapshot’ into a particular segment or type of user. This means you’ll better be able to appreciate their perspective, context, goals, pains, and needs - to ‘see the world from their perspective.’
CENSYDIAM MODEL
Censydiam is a human compass that guides you around the world of human motivations. Eight motivations are aligned in a circle driven by z dimensions—personal and social.
This tool could be used to redefine the category based on the needs that your product fulfills, create positioning to establish a much deeper connection with your consumers, manage a brand portfolio by motivational segmentation, or stay ahead of the competition and find new opportunities for growth.
This tool could be used to redefine the category based on the needs that your product fulfills, create positioning to establish a much deeper connection with your consumers, manage a brand portfolio by motivational segmentation, or stay ahead of the competition and find new opportunities for growth.
CUSTOMER VALUE PROPOSITION
A customer value proposition (CVP) is a promise of potential value that an organization delivers to its customers, stimulating customer engagement.
In marketing, the term ‘value proposition’ is elucidated from different angles. From the angle of an organization, this term focuses on creating extra value linked to the product and/or service as part of the unique selling proposition (USP). From the (potential) customer’s perception, the term focuses on the extra value that a product and/or service represents, as a result of which the customer’s needs are responded to, and the customer will respond by making a purchase.
In marketing, the term ‘value proposition’ is elucidated from different angles. From the angle of an organization, this term focuses on creating extra value linked to the product and/or service as part of the unique selling proposition (USP). From the (potential) customer’s perception, the term focuses on the extra value that a product and/or service represents, as a result of which the customer’s needs are responded to, and the customer will respond by making a purchase.
CROSS CULTURAL CONSUMER
CHARACTERIZATION
CHARACTERIZATION
Maslow’s research into human motivation inspired the advertising agency Y&R’s Cross-Cultural Consumer Characterization model (the 4Cs). This model characterizes people into recognizable stereotypes that reflect 7 human motivations:
– Security
– Control
– Status
– Individuality
– Freedom
– Survival
– Escape
From these core values, a set of relatively stable lifestyle profiles has been created.
– Security
– Control
– Status
– Individuality
– Freedom
– Survival
– Escape
From these core values, a set of relatively stable lifestyle profiles has been created.
Competitor Analysis
7 P'S MARKETING MIX
This widely used model considers the stages of business strategy, beginning at conception and taking it to evaluation. The Ps stand for:
– Product
– Price
– Place
– Promotion
– People
– Process
– Physical Evidence
– Product
– Price
– Place
– Promotion
– People
– Process
– Physical Evidence
STP MARKETING MODEL
The STP model is a top-down approach focusing on how a company addresses customers and helps deliver personalized (and relevant) messages to audiences.
STP stands for segmentation (dividing your audience into different sections), targeting (who will be the most receptive to your product), and positioning (how to make your product the most appealing to that audience). It has helped many companies shift to utilizing social media to deliver content.
STP stands for segmentation (dividing your audience into different sections), targeting (who will be the most receptive to your product), and positioning (how to make your product the most appealing to that audience). It has helped many companies shift to utilizing social media to deliver content.
PORTER'S FIVE FORCES
Porter’s Five Forces Framework is a method for analyzing a business's competition. It draws from industrial organization economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and, therefore, the attractiveness of an industry in terms of its profitability.
https://getlucidity.com/strategy-resources/guide-to-five-forces/
https://getlucidity.com/strategy-resources/guide-to-five-forces/
COMPETITIVE PANORAMA
As the barriers between industries dissolve, it makes sense to expose our diagnosis to our clients' wider environment. Often, the most relevant challenge and opportunity may lie far outside the immediate competitive space.
This framework can be used internally or in client workshops.
This framework can be used internally or in client workshops.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Analyzing the current and potential competition ensures the brand can break away from the clutter and position itself clearly and successfully. The unconscious pre-selection of brands is often assumed to be a fundamental cognitive step leading to choice. Direct competitors sell products that compete with ours.
FOUR CORNER ANALYSIS
Four Corner Analysis is designed to help you understand another business’s intent and strategy. Competitive analysis is key to growing within a market. It can inform your own strategic decisions as you battle for market share and provide insight into the KPIs you should measure.
Four Corner Analysis is not just a framework, it's a powerful tool for understanding a competitor’s intent and capabilities. It's the key to developing a winning strategy.
The Four Corners in the model are:
– Motivation Drivers
– Current Strategy
– Management Assumptions
– Capabilities
Four Corner Analysis is not just a framework, it's a powerful tool for understanding a competitor’s intent and capabilities. It's the key to developing a winning strategy.
The Four Corners in the model are:
– Motivation Drivers
– Current Strategy
– Management Assumptions
– Capabilities
Insight
INSIGHT PROCESS
Insights start with an observation, either in data or in real life. However, the research result is not a real insight. Understand your consumer’s behavior and motivation. Answer the “why.” Reframe your vision to get the big picture.
Evaluate your insight. There are 3 levels of insight KPIs
Relevance - identification, frequency, endurance, recognition, thought of before.
Differentiation - solution awareness, likelihood, or solution finding.
Actionability - clarify the importance of resolving, context fit, target group fit, and brand fit.
Evaluate your insight. There are 3 levels of insight KPIs
Relevance - identification, frequency, endurance, recognition, thought of before.
Differentiation - solution awareness, likelihood, or solution finding.
Actionability - clarify the importance of resolving, context fit, target group fit, and brand fit.
INSIGHT TYPES
Four Corner Analysis is designed to help you understand another business’s intent and strategy. Competitive analysis is key to growing within a market. It can inform your own strategic decisions as you battle for market share and provide insight into the KPIs you should measure.
Four Corner Analysis is not just a framework, it's a powerful tool for understanding a competitor’s intent and capabilities. It's the key to developing a winning strategy.
The Four Corners in the model are:
– Motivation Drivers
– Current Strategy
– Management Assumptions
– Capabilities
Four Corner Analysis is not just a framework, it's a powerful tool for understanding a competitor’s intent and capabilities. It's the key to developing a winning strategy.
The Four Corners in the model are:
– Motivation Drivers
– Current Strategy
– Management Assumptions
– Capabilities
PRIMARY INSIGHT SOURCE
Four Corner Analysis is designed to help you understand another business’s intent and strategy. Competitive analysis is key to growing within a market. It can inform your own strategic decisions as you battle for market share and provide insight into the KPIs you should measure.
Four Corner Analysis is not just a framework, it's a powerful tool for understanding a competitor’s intent and capabilities. It's the key to developing a winning strategy.
The Four Corners in the model are:
– Motivation Drivers
– Current Strategy
– Management Assumptions
– Capabilities
Four Corner Analysis is not just a framework, it's a powerful tool for understanding a competitor’s intent and capabilities. It's the key to developing a winning strategy.
The Four Corners in the model are:
– Motivation Drivers
– Current Strategy
– Management Assumptions
– Capabilities
Trend Hunting
THE FUNDAMENTAL TREND ELEMENTS
The secret ingredient in trends is the tension created when the three elements interact with each other. This tension is best identified by understanding customer preferences and looking for gaps between what customers want - now and in the future - and what they currently offer. By understanding this, you can hit the sweet spot of trend-driven innovation with your new offering - exceeding customer expectations and removing that tension.
HOW TO SPOT A TREND
One word: Trendsetting. This requires agility (once you’ve spotted a trend, you must act quickly) and a keen eye for larger patterns in a sea of distractions.
The most important thing you can do to spot a trend is to always listen. Listen to what people are talking about and how they’re talking about it. Keep your eyes and ears on social media, podcasts, morning newsletters, and nightly news broadcasts. Listen to your customers, your competitors, thought leaders, and influencers. The most important source of information is always people.
The most important thing you can do to spot a trend is to always listen. Listen to what people are talking about and how they’re talking about it. Keep your eyes and ears on social media, podcasts, morning newsletters, and nightly news broadcasts. Listen to your customers, your competitors, thought leaders, and influencers. The most important source of information is always people.
TREND EXPLORATION FRAMEWORK
The purpose of the Trend Exploration Framework is to synthesize trends that relate to your initiative and analyze the resulting implications and opportunities for your brand. This type of framework is often used by marketers to explore how changes in the marketplace might impact future strategic plans. The Trend Exploration Framework is typically completed as a group in a workshop format, where participants must come prepared with research on current and relevant trends. Completing the framework as a team can be an effective way to create a shared understanding of the impact of key trends and to collaboratively explore emerging opportunities for an existing brand.
FORESIGHTING
Use raw data to define futures. By clustering the data and adding context, you will be able to see anomalies, which often indicate the beginning of emerging trends or point towards tensions between what people want and what is currently available. You can use this as a starting point, mapping the long-term impacts of today’s conversations and exploring multiple scenarios step by step.
Behavior Change Models
HABIT LOOP
To understand your customers’ habits, you need to identify the components of the habit loop. Once you have diagnosed the habit loop of a particular behavior, you can look for ways to supplant old vices with new routines.
BJ FOGG'S BEHAVIOR MODEL
This model helps us understand the psychology behind behavior change and how we can make it happen.
THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE MODEL
There is often a big gap between what we think and what we do when we do something despite knowing it to be immoral, wrong, or stupid. We have a bad conscience. The psychologist Leon Festinger used the term “cognitive dissonance” to describe our state of mind when our actions are not consistent with our beliefs—for example when we make a decision that proves to be wrong, but we don’t want to admit it.
How can we overcome dissonance? Either by changing our behavior or our attitude.
How can we overcome dissonance? Either by changing our behavior or our attitude.
THE ANSOFF MATRIX
This matrix shows four strategies you can use to grow your business, which vary in risk:
– Market penetration
– Product development
– Market development
– Diversification
It also helps you analyze the risks associated with each one. The idea is that each time you move into a new quadrant (horizontally or vertically), risk increases.
– Market penetration
– Product development
– Market development
– Diversification
It also helps you analyze the risks associated with each one. The idea is that each time you move into a new quadrant (horizontally or vertically), risk increases.
BEHAVIORAL CHANGE MODEL
The simple premise behind this framework is that to get people from point A to point B, 3 fundamental behavioral barriers need to be overcome related to apathy, paralysis, and anxiety. To reduce apathy, we need to rebalance effort and reward - make it seem or feel gloriously simple (processing fluency) or make the payoff seem or feel bigger. To overcome paralysis, we need to clarify and to counteract anxiety (such as loss aversion), we need to mitigate through techniques to normalize, reassure, and spur action.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE FUNNEL
If you aim to change behavior, consider how many hoops you need to get people to jump through and, therefore, the role of communication at each stage.
MARKETING AROUND NEW NEEDS
This model shows how new needs can be applied to marketing goals. This particular example is about changes in human behavior during COVID.
Planning Comms
PLANNING CYCLE (STEPHEN KING 1968)
The best way to understand the communication planning process is to start with the account planning godfather Stephen King’s planning cycle model.
These are the 5 main questions of strategy you should repeatedly ask yourself until you have a clear vision of the new state, barriers, business opportunities, wise goals, and a reasonable plan to achieve it.
These are the 5 main questions of strategy you should repeatedly ask yourself until you have a clear vision of the new state, barriers, business opportunities, wise goals, and a reasonable plan to achieve it.
PLANNING CYCLE
Start with a plan. Follow up with a strategy that should be implemented in a list of specific action steps.
Actions have been completed. Place your ads and start your campaign.
Finally, appreciate your work.
Actions have been completed. Place your ads and start your campaign.
Finally, appreciate your work.
DOUBLE DIAMOND
This framework is a fundamental part of our work, enabling us to support the public, private, and third-sector organizations we work with in transforming the way they develop and deliver their services.
Framework also includes the key principles and design methods that designers and non-designers need to take, and the ideal working culture needed to achieve significant and long-lasting positive change.
Framework also includes the key principles and design methods that designers and non-designers need to take, and the ideal working culture needed to achieve significant and long-lasting positive change.
PLANNING FRAMEWORK (BY MAD)
Another way on how to look at the planning process.
PLANNING TOOL
This is a very simple tool for defining the problem and the desired future state. In the third step, you will recheck the combination of the current problem and the desired one.
12 STEPS TO A STRATEGY
APG offers another way to define the problem and find a solution.
MODEL OF NEEDS
A good comms strategy starts by marrying the needs of the business and the audience, which means getting away from your desk to find out exactly what those needs are.
Whether that’s through formal channels like meetings and emails or by stalking your boss in the kitchen when they make their morning coffee, don’t just assume you know what motivates people to do things or holds them back. Ask them directly.
Whether that’s through formal channels like meetings and emails or by stalking your boss in the kitchen when they make their morning coffee, don’t just assume you know what motivates people to do things or holds them back. Ask them directly.
THE BASIS FOR COMMS PLANNING
The communications planning process concerns defining the context where the information will be received and the contact who will receive it. These two aspects together create the content or the message that the consumer will receive.
COMMS FRAMEWORK
The goal of communications planning is to translate business goals into communication tasks. This comms framework lays the groundwork for marketing planning, helping to better define the role of comms and make more focused media choices. It should also establish consistency in messaging and determine what needs to be measured at each stage.
COMMS PLATFORM
The communication matrix helps define the company's values and how they are perceived and leveraged in the marketplace and within the company itself. It also serves as a North Star, providing direction and purpose.
The origins of this framework come from political PR.
The origins of this framework come from political PR.
CONNECTION PLANNING FRAMEWORK
This model is a blueprint for the communication planning project. In this model, you will write down all the key elements to better review the entire project or campaign.
COMMUNICATION BLUEPRINT
Here is another model that can help you give an overview of your project/campaign. The advantage of this model is that it will help you better understand what barriers are in your way to achieving your goal and what actions or activities should be taken to help overcome these barriers.
THE PROCESS
A communication planning model with a focus on connection and channel planning. This model will help you review the steps in the process.
HOW TO USE CONSUMER JOURNEYS
Key to improving brand loyalty is an appreciation of the emotions evoked by consumer’s contact with a brand. Companies must ensure that all these interaction points (touchpoints) are monitored so that the consumer experience is as fulfilling as possible.
EMPATHY MAP
The Empathy Map is a simple, easy-to-digest visual that represents knowledge about people’s behavior and attitudes. It is a useful tool for helping you understand your audience better. Empathy mapping is a simple workshop activity that can be done with stakeholders, marketing and sales, product development, or creative teams to build empathy for customers.
EXPERIENCE MAPPING
The human experience is complex and mostly intangible. Yet the challenge of experience mapping is to uncover critical information about your customers’ experiences, little by little.
The key building blocks are Doing, Thinking, and Feeling, but to understand the full context of customers’ experience, you need to consider Place, Time, Devices, Relationships, and Touchpoints.
The key building blocks are Doing, Thinking, and Feeling, but to understand the full context of customers’ experience, you need to consider Place, Time, Devices, Relationships, and Touchpoints.
ADVERTISING PROCESS (JOYCE'S MODEL)
This model says that buying both affects attitude (“reducing experience and dissonance”) and increases attention to the ad (“Post-purchase exposure”), thereby undermining the validity of linear sequential models such as AIDA. It also allows for the “natural” tendency of consumers to have consistent attitudes and buying habits regardless of the external stimuli that advertising must always work with or against.
MCKINSEY'S 7-S FRAMEWORK
This framework addresses the critical role of coordination, rather than structure, in organizational effectiveness.
The framework maps a constellation of interrelated factors that influence an organization's ability to change. The lack of hierarchy among these factors suggests that significant progress in one part of the organization will only be possible by working on the others.
The framework maps a constellation of interrelated factors that influence an organization's ability to change. The lack of hierarchy among these factors suggests that significant progress in one part of the organization will only be possible by working on the others.
Markting Effectiveness
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
This framework is for connecting the brand-building and sales activation funnels.
A long-term outward focus brings broader and more significant effects.
A long-term outward focus brings broader and more significant effects.
Cultural Strategy
UNIQUE CULTURAL PROBLEM (UCP)
The cultural disruption model defines and solves what is called a brand’s Unique Cultural Problem.
A UCP must fulfill three criteria:
Category (Differentiation)
Culture (Relevance)
Authenticity (Credibility)
A UCP must fulfill three criteria:
Category (Differentiation)
Culture (Relevance)
Authenticity (Credibility)
MINDSHARE STRATEGY
Holt and Cameron explain that to engage with a cultural strategy approach successfully, practitioners would view their brand as a cultural product with something to say and something to stand for. As such, practitioners should immerse themselves in other cultural products such as books, films, television, fashion, and subcultures to obtain a better ideological opportunity, which is used to inspire the communications approach.
Practitioners should also assess their competitors’ dominant cultural expression, locate a specific historical opportunity, and respond to this opportunity by applying specific cultural content to their brand.
Practitioners should also assess their competitors’ dominant cultural expression, locate a specific historical opportunity, and respond to this opportunity by applying specific cultural content to their brand.
CULTURAL STRATEGY
To fully understand brand positioning, you need to uncover the competitive landscape and understand the functional and emotional cues other brands are using. Then, by exploring relevant cultural shifts within and outside of the category, you can find a space in which the brand can activate.
After identifying these areas of cultural opportunity, match them with what you know about the specific brand and find brand assets to create a dial-in approach.
Then, prepare brands for category shifts, local market nuances, and general consumer attitudes.
After identifying these areas of cultural opportunity, match them with what you know about the specific brand and find brand assets to create a dial-in approach.
Then, prepare brands for category shifts, local market nuances, and general consumer attitudes.
Content Strategy
3C FOR CONTENT STRATEGY
Let’s say you’ve developed the perfect message and honed in on your target market. But your message will be meaningless if your timing is off. So here’s an easy way to fix it.
Let’s start with Content. Is it relevant to the moment? Are you surfing the zeitgeist? What do you want to say about what you’re doing right now?
Continue with Context. Are these people at work? Are they relaxing? How do you tweak your message to fit how people are feeling?
And finish with Calendar. Is it a national-whatever-day? Is it Christmas? What moments can easily amplify the thing that you’re talking about?
Let’s start with Content. Is it relevant to the moment? Are you surfing the zeitgeist? What do you want to say about what you’re doing right now?
Continue with Context. Are these people at work? Are they relaxing? How do you tweak your message to fit how people are feeling?
And finish with Calendar. Is it a national-whatever-day? Is it Christmas? What moments can easily amplify the thing that you’re talking about?
CUSTOMER PILLARS FOR
CONTENT STRATEGY
CONTENT STRATEGY
You need to develop customer pillars to help your brand stay relevant and to keep brand communications on track.
This is a very simple framework for doing this.
This is a very simple framework for doing this.
SECRETS OF SUCCESS
Back when the internet was just starting, two guys called Chip and Dan Heath wrote a book called Made to Stick. They found all the best, stickiest (most engaging) ideas had six things in common.
Media Strategy
STOSTAC
To review the whole communication planning process better, it’s good to keep in mind all the steps.
Situation – where are we now?
Objectives – where do we want to be?
Strategy – how do we get there?
Tactics – how exactly do we get there?
Action – what is our plan?
Control – did we get there?
Situation – where are we now?
Objectives – where do we want to be?
Strategy – how do we get there?
Tactics – how exactly do we get there?
Action – what is our plan?
Control – did we get there?
RACE GROWTH SYSTEM
RACE is a practical tool that has been utilized recently to help marketers and business owners plan, manage and optimize their digital marketing using a more strategic, structured, and data-driven strategy
Reach – Grow audience with paid, owned, and earned media
Act – Prompt interactions, subscribers, and leads
Convert – Achieve sales online or offline
Engage – Encourage repeat business
Reach – Grow audience with paid, owned, and earned media
Act – Prompt interactions, subscribers, and leads
Convert – Achieve sales online or offline
Engage – Encourage repeat business
BRAND ECOSYSTEM
In general terms, it refers to how a brand, with its various interconnected products and services, creates a seamless consumer experience. The idea is to engage the customer at various touchpoints to create a sense of loyalty, which in turn causes customer retention.
Storytelling
9-SLIDE PRESENTATION
Once you write this out, you will find that you can make the entire presentation more compact and focus only on the most interesting points.
NARRATIVE ARC (FREYTAG'S PYRAMID)
A narrative arc describes a story’s whole progression. It visually evokes the idea that every story has a relatively calm beginning, a middle where tension, character conflict, and narrative momentum build to a peak, and an end where the conflict is resolved.
You may already be familiar with one classic example of the story arc: boy meets girl, boy fails girl, boy gets girl again. This may sound oversimplified, and it is. Adding complexity to a basic story arc is part of what differentiates one story from another, even when they’re ostensibly dealing with the same ideas.
You may already be familiar with one classic example of the story arc: boy meets girl, boy fails girl, boy gets girl again. This may sound oversimplified, and it is. Adding complexity to a basic story arc is part of what differentiates one story from another, even when they’re ostensibly dealing with the same ideas.
STORYBRAND FRAMEWORK
The StoryBrand process is a proven solution to business leaders' struggles when discussing their companies.
Without a clear, distinct message, customers will not understand what you can do for them and are unwilling to engage, causing you to lose potential sales, opportunities for customer engagement, and much more.
Without a clear, distinct message, customers will not understand what you can do for them and are unwilling to engage, causing you to lose potential sales, opportunities for customer engagement, and much more.
CULTURAL NARRATIVE
John Hagel has examined the role that corporate narratives can play in driving business success in competitive markets:
First, they’re open-ended – there’s no resolution yet; it’s all to be determined. Second, narratives are about the intended audience, not the person or entity presenting the narrative. The resolution of the narrative hinges upon the choices and actions yet to be taken by the audience – the resolution is up to them.
According to John Hagel, great narratives identify opportunities for the people outside the company to pursue independently.
A cultural narrative creates meaning for our place in the world and provides a map for the journey.
First, they’re open-ended – there’s no resolution yet; it’s all to be determined. Second, narratives are about the intended audience, not the person or entity presenting the narrative. The resolution of the narrative hinges upon the choices and actions yet to be taken by the audience – the resolution is up to them.
According to John Hagel, great narratives identify opportunities for the people outside the company to pursue independently.
A cultural narrative creates meaning for our place in the world and provides a map for the journey.
Brief
GET / WHO / TO / BY
Created by Martyn Straw of NewWorld Branding, the purpose of a Get-Who-To-By line is to capture your marketing strategy concisely for a creative brief.
The Get-Who-To-By line synthesizes and distills the most important elements of the creative brief into a single line. It includes your target audience, the problem they are facing, the response you desire, and your main proposition or message.
The Get-Who-To-By line synthesizes and distills the most important elements of the creative brief into a single line. It includes your target audience, the problem they are facing, the response you desire, and your main proposition or message.
6 KEY ELEMENTS OF A CREATIVE BRIEF
Analyzing over 30 creative briefs, Baiba Matisone, Julian Cole, and Antonio Frongia identified the six sacred key inputs to great creative briefs. These elements ensure that a brief stays brief while being potent. These elements showed up in over 50% of brief templates.
Other considerations to include:
Background
Measurement
Reason to Believe
Mandatories
Output / Channel
Brand Personality
Other considerations to include:
Background
Measurement
Reason to Believe
Mandatories
Output / Channel
Brand Personality
Business Models
BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS
This model outlines nine business elements. It provides a high-level snapshot of the company and the underlying dynamics that keep it competitive in any industry and at any stage of growth. It helps map client businesses and ask better questions.
OBJECTIVES AND KEY RESULTS (OKR)
Objectives and key results (OKR) help establish high-level, measurable goals for your business by establishing ambitious targets and outcomes that can be tracked over the quarter. OKR is a goal-setting framework that helps organizations define objectives and track outcomes in days instead of months.
Design Thinking Models
DESIGN THINKING
Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, commonly known as the d.school, is renowned for its pioneering approach to design thinking. Design thinking is a nonlinear, iterative process teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. It is most useful for tackling ill-defined or unknown problems and involves five phases: empathy, Definition, Ideation, Prototyping, and Testing.
This design thinking framework follows an overall flow of 1) understanding, 2) exploring, and 3) materializing. Within these larger buckets fall the 5 phases.
This design thinking framework follows an overall flow of 1) understanding, 2) exploring, and 3) materializing. Within these larger buckets fall the 5 phases.
Social Media
The mark of a strong brand is when the entire public has the same understanding of what the brand means and what it stands for. In short, brand building has to work on building and reinforcing the collective understanding of the brand.